'The Chosen' Producers Take a 'Stand for Israel' Amid Hamas War, Pointing to Jewish Roots of Jesus and Christianity
The producers behind the hit Christian television series "The Chosen" say they support Israel as the Jewish state defends itself amidst an intensifying conflict with Hamas - after the terror group savagely attacked Israeli civilians and soldiers.
Producers Chad Gunderson and Chris Juen told the Christian Post on the red carpet at the Dove Music Awards that the widely successful streaming series can provide hope to those suffering.
"We're a Jewish show. It's that simple. We're not a Christian show yet," Gunderson told the outlet.
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He continued, "There aren't Christians yet until Christ has done what He was supposed to do. So right now, we're a Jewish show. And honestly, we just stand with Israel right now. It's that simple. And it's heartbreaking to see what's going on over there.”
As our CBN News Jerusalem Bureau recently reported, Israel has entered its 17th day at war with Hamas and is dealing with attacks on several fronts: on the southern border with Gaza, the northern border with Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria, and in the West Bank (biblical Judea and Samaria).
On Oct. 7, Hamas coordinated a barbaric massacre of Israeli civilians resulting in the death of 1,400 people, thousands of others wounded, and more than 200 abducted, including at least 10 Americans.
A volunteer with Israel's morgue told the Daily Mail that the mutilated bodies of men, women, and children attacked by Hamas are "worse than the Holocaust."
"I heard stories about Auschwitz as a child growing up in New Jersey. But what I have seen here with my own eyes is worse than the Holocaust," Shari told the outlet.
Shari works with the Israeli Defense Force’s Rabbinate Corps which identifies the remains of the bodies to allow their families to bury them as soon as possible for Jewish custom.
"What these barbarians did to these people is beyond words, she shared. "There is evidence of mass rape of so brutal that they broke their victims’ pelvis – women, grandmothers, children."
As many around the world grieve from the thousands suffering in the midst of war, Gunderson told CP he hopes "The Chosen" will give people hope.
“We pray for Israel and everything going on over there,” he said.
Juen told the outlet that the show will point people to the Bible.
“For us, this series is a way to tell these stories in a way that more and more people are drawn to them, and then ultimately, drive them back into their Bibles,” he said.
As CBN News reported, the producers announced eight episodes of the series season 4 will be released in theaters beginning on Feb. 1 before it begins streaming online.
"Every time we've dipped our toes in the theatrical waters, viewers have overwhelmingly told us they want more," said Dallas Jenkins, creator and director of "The Chosen," in a press release. "After seeing the Season 4 episodes, we knew we'd be doing our fans a disservice if we denied them the chance to see them all on a big screen with others they can laugh and cry with."
The Chosen has been streamed more than 500 million times and has now been seen by more than 108 million people since Season 1 premiered.
The series is available to watch for free on The Chosen App or the Angel Studios App. It's also available on popular streaming services including Peacock, Apple TV, fubo TV, Google Play, Netflix, and Amazon Prime.
In addition, the first three seasons of The Chosen began airing on broadcast TV for the first time on July 16 on the CW Network. It will continue airing on the CW every Sunday at 8:00 p.m. Eastern/6:00 p.m. Mountain Time through Christmas Eve.
